Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Walt Disney Imagineering

When people think of Disney Parks and Resorts, some iconic things come to mind: castles, Mickey Mouse, classic attractions and so much more! Each and every one of these things are created by a group of talented cast members called Imagineers.

Walt Disney created Imagineering as a way to combine imagination and engineering for Disneyland Park when it was getting ready to debut for guests. Recently, in a super exclusive tour, I was able to tour Walt Disney Imagineering.

When you walk into the Imagineering building behind Epcot at Walt Disney World, you're greeted with the Imagineering logo and a cone-shaped ceiling painted to look like Mickey’s hat from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment of the original 1940's Fantasia.

Then, while traveling down a short hallway, we were able to view concept art for various projects. Hanging from the ceiling in the main workspace are retired attraction vehicles and audio-animatronics that include Mary Poppins from The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios and a car from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Magic Kingdom Park.

As we turned the corner, I found myself a small room called the Digital Immersive Show Room (DISH). Imagineers Diego and Kristy welcomed our group into the DISH, which is even more closed off to outsiders than the Imagineering building already is! In this room, Imagineers incorporate innovative techniques for construction and project management to virtually tour, ride and experience coming attractions and themed areas.

During our time in the DISH we were each given a set of 3-D glasses, which would transform how each person in the room saw what was going on around them. There are four projectors that take image mapping to a whole new level by projecting onto the walls and floor.

The point of view in which everyone sees the room is based on who is wearing a hat with a sort of GPS on it. The hat gives the wearer the opportunity to change the point of view for everyone in the room. The wearer of the hat determines which direction the point of view is going to be, and what everyone else is going to see through their glasses. The closer everyone got to the hat and its wearer, the better perspective they would have.

Our virtual tour took us through the newly opened Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios! We were able to do a flyover of the land and ride Slinky Dog Dash, all through the virtual experience in the DISH. When the virtual experience was finished, we realized just how much work was involved with creating a new guest experience at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The Toy Story Land virtual tour was so close to what guests experience outside in Hollywood Studios—from the color of the ground, all the way to the details on the ride vehicles for Slinky Dog Dash. One of the main goals of Imagineering is to use story to connect with guests on an emotional level.

From concept phase, which Imagineers call “blue sky,” to opening day, Toy Story Land changed quite a bit. The team working on the new land played with real toys to see how they fit together, and how they could use giant renditions of those toys as props throughout Toy Story Land.

The central concept of Toy Story Land is that Andy’s toys have invited you, the guest, to play in the backyard. You’re shrunk down to the size of a Green Army Man and everything in Toy Story Land is to scale of a Green Army Man.

Being able to experience the DISH is one of those pinch-me moments in life. Knowing how new experiences in the parks go from concept to guest-ready really does give someone a whole new appreciation for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is opening at Disneyland and Walt Disney World this year, and it’s getting tested in the DISH right now, along with countless other new attractions and lands that are set to be open in the years to come.

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